Staphylinoidea
Guides
Agyrtes longulus
Agyrtes longulus is a species of primitive carrion beetle in the family Agyrtidae. It belongs to a relict group of beetles considered among the most basal lineages of Staphylinoidea. The species has been documented in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada.
Agyrtidae
Primitive Carrion Beetles
Agyrtidae is a small family of beetles in the superfamily Staphylinoidea, containing approximately 60 species across three subfamilies: Agyrtinae, Necrophilinae, and Pterolomatinae. Members range from 4–14 mm in length and exhibit diverse ecological habits, with some subfamilies associated with carrion and decaying organic matter while others show predatory or coastal specialized lifestyles. The family has a disjunct distribution in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere and New Zealand, with fossil records extending to the Early Cretaceous.
Apteroloma
Apteroloma is a genus of primitive carrion beetles in the family Agyrtidae, comprising approximately 14 described species. The genus is distinguished by its wingless or reduced-wing condition, as indicated by its name (from Greek 'apteros' meaning wingless). Species occur primarily in montane and alpine regions of central Asia and the Himalayas. Taxonomic revisions have clarified species boundaries, with recent work synonymizing A. jankovskii under A. anglorossicum and A. heinzi under A. harmandi.
Caccoplectus
Caccoplectus is a genus of myrmecophilous (ant-loving) rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae, subfamily Pselaphinae. The genus was established by Sharp in 1887 and contains approximately nine described species. These beetles are associated with ant colonies, a common ecological strategy among pselaphine beetles. Most species have been described from the Neotropical region, particularly Central America.
myrmecophileant-associatedpselaphinerove-beetleNeotropicalStaphylinidaePselaphinaeArhytodinitropicalant-colony-inhabitantinquilinemicrohabitat-specialistleaf-littersoil-dwellingcrypticrarely-collectedsmall-beetlemorphologically-specialized1887-descriptionSharpCentral-AmericaPanamaColeopteraPolyphagaStaphyliniformiaStaphylinoideaPselaphitaegenus-levelnine-speciesconicusdegallierilucidusnuttingipectinatusschwarzisentisspinipessucineasspine-legged-pselaphidChandlerWoldaSchaeffer190619761986type-species-unknownrarely-observediNaturalist:-2-observationsCatalogue-of-Life-acceptedGBIF-acceptedNCBI-acceptedEukaryotaMetazoaHexapodaInsectaArthropodaAnimaliabeetleinsectarthropodanimalColonidae
Colonidae is a small family of beetles in the superfamily Staphylinoidea, commonly known as colon beetles. The family contains approximately 50 described species in the single genus *Colon*. These beetles are small, compact, and primarily associated with decaying organic matter and fungi. They are closely related to the rove beetles (Staphylinidae) but are distinguished by their more rounded body form and reduced elytra that still cover most of the abdomen.
Dalmosella tenuis
Dalmosella tenuis is a species of rove beetle in the family Staphylinidae, subfamily Pselaphinae. It is a small beetle belonging to the tribe Trichonychini within the diverse Pselaphinae, a group known for their compact bodies and reduced elytra. The species was described by Thomas L. Casey in 1897 and occurs across eastern North America.
StaphylinidaePselaphinaerove-beetleNorth-AmericaCasey-1897TrichonychiniDalmosellaColeopterabeetleinsectarthropodAnimaliaInsectaPolyphagaStaphyliniformiaStaphylinoideaEuplectitaeTrimiinaNew-BrunswickAlabamaDistrict-of-ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaKentuckyLouisianaMassachusettsMaineMississippiNorth-CarolinaNew-HampshireNew-JerseyOhioOklahomaPennsylvaniaTennesseeVirginiaUSACanadaeastern-North-AmericaIpelates
Ipelates is a genus of primitive carrion beetles in the family Agyrtidae. The genus contains at least four described species. These beetles are classified within the superfamily Staphylinoidea and are considered among the more basal lineages of carrion-associated beetles. Species in this genus have been documented from fossil and extant contexts.
Jacobsoniidae
Jacobson's beetles
Jacobsoniidae is a small family of minute beetles within the superfamily Staphylinoidea, comprising three extant genera (Derolathrus, Sarothrias, Saphophagus) and approximately 28 described species. Adults and larvae inhabit cryptic microhabitats including leaf litter, rotting wood, fungal fruiting bodies, bat guano, and caves. The family exhibits remarkable morphological stasis since the Cretaceous, with fossil records from Cretaceous amber of Myanmar and France, Eocene Baltic amber, and Holocene copal. Members are among the smallest beetles, measuring 0.7–2.1 mm, and are exceptionally rare in collections.
Micridium
Micridium is a genus of minute feather-winged beetles in the family Ptiliidae. Members of this genus are among the smallest beetles known. The genus was established by Motschulsky in 1869 and contains at least two described species, including one named in honor of naturalist David Attenborough.
Necrophilus hydrophiloides
flat brown scavenger beetle
Necrophilus hydrophiloides is a species of primitive carrion beetle in the family Agyrtidae, commonly known as the flat brown scavenger beetle. It belongs to a relict lineage of beetles that represent an early-diverging branch of the staphylinoid beetles. The species is found in western North America, where it inhabits moist forest habitats and is associated with carrion and decaying organic matter.
Pseudoliodini
Pseudoliodini is a tribe of small carrion beetles in the family Leiodidae, established by Portevin in 1926. Members of this tribe are classified within the subfamily Leiodinae and are part of the diverse rove beetle superfamily Staphylinoidea. The tribe contains multiple genera of beetles generally associated with decomposing organic matter.
Ptiliidae
Feather-winged Beetles, Featherwing Beetles
Ptiliidae is a family of extremely small beetles containing the smallest known free-living, non-parasitoid insects. Members range from 0.3 to 4.0 mm in length, with the smallest species, Scydosella musawasensis, measuring only 0.325 mm. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution and is characterized by distinctive narrow, feathery hindwings that give the group its common name. Their minute size imposes unusual biological constraints, including the production of very large eggs relative to adult body size.